Havok to power the world of Defiance

Havok has confirmed that its physics and animation technology will be powering Defiance - a persistent 3rd person shooter slated to unite the Syfy network and massively multiplayer online gaming.

"Havok exceeded our expectations with Rift, so it was an obvious choice to continue using their technology for Defiance to bring physical and immersive gameplay experience to MMO fans," Trion exec Rob Hill explained.

"[It] really allows us to add high fidelity character interaction and dynamics to the game."

Set in the near future, Defiance introduces players and viewers to a completely transformed planet Earth, inhabited by the disparate survivors of a universal war who attempt to build a new society among the devastation.

The game combines the story and intense action of a classic console shooter, with the persistence, scale, and customization of an MMO - while its TV counterpart weaves the rich tapestry of the world into a series with the scope, characters and drama of a classic sci-fi epic.

Because they exist in a single universe, the show and the game will influence each other and evolve together over time, with actions in both mediums driving the overall story of Defiance. Meaning, the protagonists of Defiance will not be relegated to either the game or the show. Indeed, some will be in both, and this is apparently a major part of how the story moves and evolves.

"Two weeks before the show premieres, the video game will go online. For that period, if you play the game right away, you get to hang out with Nolan [Grant Bowler] and Irisa [Stephanie Leonidas] as non-player characters. When they leave the game, they are gone into our [TV] world," explained screenwriter Kevin Murphy.

"In the pilot, there is a very small role of Ryn, who is a spirit-rider. She becomes very important in episodes four and five, and then she leaves the show in episode five to go into the videogame. If you are watching/playing both, she comes into the game in a very big way, then returns to the show at the end of the season."

Defiance, the show and game, are currently slated for a Spring 2013 debut.